


Out of the Woods

by morningssofgold



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Comfort/Angst, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Psychological Trauma, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22838086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morningssofgold/pseuds/morningssofgold
Summary: Staring into Malcolm's eyes at this very moment was akin to watching the sun come out from behind the darkest of storm clouds. Dani saw the pain, the fear, the anxiety and trepidation be replaced by joy. Nothing else but radiant, unfiltered joy. Right then, Dani knew that this final chapter to their story–a finality that was just beginning– started with happily ever after.Malcolm once thought he could never be happy–he'd thought wrong.A multi-chapter fic.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 23
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Killing Me Softly](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22409947) by [morningssofgold](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morningssofgold/pseuds/morningssofgold). 



“Hey, Dani,” Malcolm whispered, turning over a bit, careful not to disturb his three year old daughter currently sleeping on his chest, her little face buried in the crook of his neck, her soft snores by his ear. 

Malcolm was always the first one awake as even now, he didn’t need much sleep. He needed far less than Dani did and if his wife was actually asleep, Malcolm wouldn’t have disturbed her but by her fluttering eyelids and the way her own soft snores had slowly tapered off into steady breaths, he knew she was awake. 

Since Gil hadn’t called them in for a case today, Malcolm took the opportunity to take in this time with his family. The early morning rays streaming in from the bay windows bathing them all in gold. He wanted to appreciate a moment he never thought he’d ever have. 

He was Martin Whitly’s son, Malcolm never thought he could be happy. He never thought he could have this cloud of serenity and fulfillment that surrounded the bedroom. 

“Yeah, Bright?” she responded, her voice raspy and thick with sleep. Malcolm watched Dani as he often did when he awakened before her. His wife’s endless nearly black curls spread over the pillow, her pretty face peaceful despite him clearly interrupting her rest.

“Does it get any better than this?” he wondered aloud. Malcolm had spent so very long feeling like he was heading nowhere fast. Feeling like no matter what he did, he’d be paying for Martin Whitly’s exceptionally long list of misdeeds. He’d gone through life with that weight around his ankles–dragging him so far down until the surface–the ability to breathe–was nothing but empty hope he’d long given up on.

Malcolm had given up on happiness after having looked for it in all of the wrong places. Drowning in an endless sea of pain had been far more familiar–comforting even, back then. Not once did he think a lifeline would be given to him in the form of a beautiful cop from the Bronx. Someone who’d allowed him to get away with nothing yet had given him everything. Someone who challenged him to be better–to do better.

Though her eyes remained closed, Dani’s full lips curved up in a smile as she automatically tightened her hold on their slumbering one year old son. She pressed a kiss into his deep golden brown hair, the exact same color as their daughter’s–the exact same color as his own when touched by the sun.

“Nope. I don’t think it does.”

His wife was right as she often was and Malcolm couldn’t help but remember how they’d gotten here.

–––––––––––––––––––––

“How are you feeling?” Malcolm asked handing Dani a glass of Pedialyte. Zahra had contracted a stomach bug a few days ago. Malcolm had been unreasonably worried as the apartment was far too quiet without his daughter's energy. Her joyful laughter and running feet, a constant since she’d learned to walk. He hated seeing her bright blue eyes dull and her face pale due to her tummy hurting. Dani stayed in Zahra’s bed with her and reassured him that their baby girl would be fine. That little kids got sick sometimes and really, they didn’t need to take her to the emergency room.

Dani had been right once again and after 24 hours, Zahra was back to being the boundless ball of energy she was. However, Dani hadn’t been so fortunate. For over 72 hours, she’d been holding court on the bathroom floor. Since Dani was out of commission, Malcolm had gotten Zahra ready for daycare and had already dropped her off before heading back home to look after his ailing yet incredibly stubborn wife.

Dani’s usually luminescent olive skin took on a grayish cast and Malcolm felt terrible seeing his wife so miserable. He offered to stay and take care of her but she waved him off telling him that she was fine. He knew she wasn’t but he didn’t feel like arguing with her, knowing he wouldn’t win.

Dani wrinkled her nose, “Um…that’s for Zahra.” Malcolm smiled patiently, trying very hard not to roll his eyes at her. He’d finally peeled Dani off of the bathroom floor, walking her back to the bedroom and settling her in bed where she’d then complained about contaminating the bed sheets. At that, Malcolm couldn’t avoid rolling his eyes at her.

“You’re a terrible patient, you know that?” Malcolm said with a laugh, shaking his head at her as he gently tugged at one of Dani's dark curls, watching it spring back into place upon release. 

Dani took care of him and had been long before they’d gotten together and she _absolutely_ took care of Zahra but she had a near complete inability to be taken care of herself. “Drink. It’s to keep you from getting dehydrated.”

Dani did as he said with _almost_ little protest and Malcolm kissed her forehead, ignoring her whining, “Nooooo…I’m gonna get you sick” before heading to work, promising to check in on her and bring her soup on the way home. Dani looked a bit green at the very mention of food and Malcolm hoped there wasn’t something more serious going on with her. 

––––––––––––––––

Dani closed her eyes, feeling Zahra’s Pedialyte sloshing around in her stomach. She turned over on her side trying to control the nausea. She never got sick. Even when Zahra picked up things here and there from daycare, Dani never got them too. She thought back to the last time she felt so awful. Other than that time she’d projectile vomited twice at their crime scene, Dani honestly couldn’t remember.

 _The last time I felt this bad…_

Dani’s foggy brain cleared all at once as she recalled that embarrassing crime scene episode. When it happened and why it happened.

She shot up in bed ignoring the ensuing vertigo. Distractedly brushing her curls back, Dani tried to do some very important math in her head and if she weren’t already sitting, her legs might’ve given out when she realized that she couldn’t exactly recall that information either. 

_This cannot be happening_ , Dani thought as she hopped up, hurriedly heading to her closet. She quickly stepped into a pair of black yoga pants and slipped into her Stan Smith Adidas, keeping on her oversized NYPD shirt and throwing on an army green hoodie that belonged to her husband. 

Dani realized that she looked a mess but at this point, getting to the nearest Duane Reade was far more important.

––––––––––––––––––

Dani sat on the bathroom floor where she’d spent the better part of the last nearly four days, the five pregnancy sticks spread out around her, confirming something she had not anticipated. Dani rested her head against the shower door, looking up at the ceiling, wondering how she ended up here. 

She remembered putting Zahra to sleep early one night as they’d taken her to a little park Malcolm liked. Their little girl had worn herself out, falling asleep in the car on the ride home. It had just been the two of them then and they so rarely got any real alone time. 

Their lives were completely and constantly consumed with all things Zahra and work. Honestly, alone time only really happened when Dani washed her hair in the shower, her husband discretely slipping in, his strong arms wrapping around her from behind, asking if she “needed help.” 

That night she’d wanted a little more than that–she wanted every inch of his skin beneath her fingertips.

Malcolm had taken his place on his side of the bed and Dani scooted closer to him, kissing the corner of this mouth, then his cheek, then a little lower to that space below his ear–lingering a little longer each time.

“What are you doing?” Malcolm murmured, knowing this was a bit uncharacteristic for her.

“What do you _think_ I’m doing?” Dani purred, nicking his ear with her teeth. “Go lock the door.”

Malcolm pulled away, excitement plain in his nearly translucent blue eyes, “Business?” 

“ _Go_ , Bright!” Dani watched through hooded eyes as he grinned at her, his dimples appearing before hurriedly following her orders.

“Okay…put me to sleep, Detective Powell.” He said rakishly, leaning over her. His hands slowly finding their way underneath the old FBI shirt–his shirt she wore, poised to lift it over her head.

He issued a challenge she _gladly_ accepted. Dani hitched a leg over Malcolm’s hip, flipping him underneath her, his surprise allowing her leverage. Her fingers interlacing with his as she brought his arms over his head, holding them in place. Her hands slowly moving down, encircling his wrists just as the restraints did–though far better. 

The outright giddiness in her husband’s ice blue eyes would’ve made her laugh if she weren’t so single minded in her purpose. Tonight, she didn’t want laughter—she wanted her name chanted like a prayer.

“I’m not gonna put you to sleep, I’m gonna knock you _out_.”

Dani would be lying if she said that was the only night that sort of thing happened especially when Zahra stayed over at Grandpa’s or Auntie Ainsley’s. 

She’d given him five hours of sleep once, though under much difference circumstances and he’d smirkingly asked if she could give him six under these.

Dani never accepted a challenge she couldn’t win and each time she gave him no less than eight, smirking to herself the next morning as she took in Malcolm’s still form, sleeping like the dead, knowing that _no one else_ could do that to him but her. 

Dani’s triumph was short lived and now she was here _again_ and she’d done it to herself. 

_The business is good_ , she heard Malcolm’s voice from so long ago echo throughout her mind. At the time he’d been high, badly flirting with her but in hindsight, it had been a warning.

Dani clenched her fist futilely, “ _Damnit!_ ” 

––––––––––––––––––

“We’re back here again?” Malcolm asked, worry marring his too handsome face, stopping in after a few hours passed. _Were they ever_. Dani looked up at her husband in his tailored gray suit looking as pristine as ever, wondering how long it would be before he inevitably joined her on the bathroom floor. 

Dani hadn’t been able to move. She hadn’t been able to do anything other than sit here ruminating in the fact their lives as they knew it was about to change again. She’d collected the sticks, putting them on the side of her leg where he’d obviously hadn’t seen them. “Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?”

She most definitely did but not for the reason he thought. “Bright, I don’t have Zahra’s virus. It’s morning sickness.”

He frowned, “Morning sickness? You only get that when you’re…” Malcolm trailed off, taking in her raised brows. As slow realization set in, his jaw slackened and the color–what little he had–drained from his face. “I…I think I need to sit down.”

She watched as he slowly settled down beside her, “Dani…are you sure?” She passed him a stick, watching him swallow heavily as he took in that word they hadn’t expected a first time and most definitely hadn’t expected a second time. “Okay, but that’s just one though. These things aren’t exactly…” Malcolm’s rationalizations died the moment she handed him four more sticks just like it.

“I thought you said this was a one and done,” Malcolm said weakly, still looking stunned as he raked a hand through his deep chestnut hair, disturbing its usual neatness.

Dani glared, “Clearly, I was wrong. But this is all my fault, I should’ve never tried to put you to sleep.” She groaned as she rested her head on Malcolm’s shoulder, realizing that she’d allowed herself to be blindsided once again. 

Malcolm’s lips twitched up in a smile, “Well, you’ve never been one to back down from a challenge…”

“Bright…not helping.”

Though Malcolm laughed softly, she still couldn’t get a read on him and how he felt about this very new development.

Dani herself didn’t quite know how she felt about it as she did not plan for this. She knew she loved being a mom, it was something she’d never expected yet it filled her like nothing else. Though her first pregnancy had been relatively easy, it was still an _experience_ , one she’d been forever changed by and she felt more than a bit nervous about going through it again. 

Though she still didn’t quite know how to feel, Dani couldn’t help but remember that little part of herself that had really wanted a son the first time. Of course, the knowledge of her baby girl had been met with a joy she’d never known before but Dani had wanted a son for Malcolm. 

She knew how much Martin had taken from him–things that were still being unlearned, rebuilt and restored even now. She’d witnessed some of those visits in person, she knew firsthand the parasitic hold The Surgeon had on her husband.

Zahra helped Malcolm so very much. Every day their little girl showed Malcolm just how much of his heart he would’ve denied had she not happened to them but Dani knew there were some things that wouldn’t heal–be cured–unless he got the opportunity to be to someone else, what The Surgeon had never been for him. Dani knew Malcolm needed to see his son be the child he’d never been, even if he himself didn’t.

Maybe this was their chance. Maybe this was the final chapter to the story they’d started authoring together over three years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

Malcolm’s arm wound around her, his palm flat against against her stomach, “Please, tell me what you’re thinking right now.” Dani said, needing him to say something. She couldn’t see his eyes but she realized her husband had been staring straight ahead, hardly moving since she’d handed him the sticks.

When she was pregnant with Zahra, Malcolm had been amazing. He’d been beside her every step of the way, supporting and encouraging her. He’d put up with her hormonal tears and her fussing at him over nearly everything, never once getting frustrated with her–instead pressing kisses to her hair and temples until she calmed down. That said, the experience hadn’t been without its hiccups. 

Dani remembered Malcolm growing distant–paralyzed by the idea that he’d do something to hurt her or Zahra growing inside of her. He’d been fine until she began to show. Instead of sleeping beside her as he usually did–he’d preventatively sequestered himself in his study. She’d gotten him out of that mindset but she wondered what else awaited them–what else would vex him especially if their _son_ had chosen now to make his presence known.

“I’m…thinking about which guest room we’re going to have to clear out for the nursery,” Malcolm said slowly.

Dani looked up at him in surprise as she half expected him to wig out, “You’re excited about this, aren’t you?”

Malcolm turned to her, the warmth in his ice blue eyes unquestionable, his left hand gently rubbing her stomach, his platinum wedding band glistening in the dim overhead light of the bathroom, “Of course. I mean, I’m surprised and mildly terrified but in nine months, I’ll be given another piece of you. How can I not be excited?” 

Dani closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against his, feeling her throat tighten the way it always did when tears weren’t far behind. Her husband’s tenderness unraveling her completely, “I love you.” 

As often as she said those three words, Dani never quite felt it was enough. Even after all this time, she knew Malcolm still thought he burdened her but the reality was that despite everything, he really had made all of her dreams come true and today, Dani realized that he’d done it once again.

She felt him lightly brush away the stray tears that escaped her eyes, smiling against her lips, “Love you too.” Dani opened her eyes, unsuccessfully trying not to cry even more as she watched Malcolm look down at her stomach, where his hand remained, “And I love _you_ as well.”

–––––––––––––––––

“I can’t believe we’re doing this again.” Dani said, holding her curls up as Malcolm fastened the clasp of the rose gold and diamond skeleton key necklace, he and Zahra had given her last Mother’s Day. 

Her stomach had settled eventually and she’d decided that they honor their commitment to having dinner at Malcolm’s family home despite his protests that she should stay home and rest. 

After Zahra’s first birthday party, they’d made a concerted effort to start going to Jessica's a bit more. Though he was trying to get better, Malcolm still wasn’t completely comfortable there and truthfully, that house still creeped her out but those dinners were important to her mother-in-law and Jessica undoubtably had more gifts for Zahra as she always did whenever they visited. At least now, they had a gift for Lovey in return.

Malcolm laughed softly before settling his chin in the crook of her neck before encircling her waist, his hands coming to rest on her stomach, “I can’t believe we did it the first time but I’m _happy_.” Dani smiled, her heart warming exponentially to hear her husband say such a thing. 

Dani still remembered Malcolm’s confession to her last Mother’s Day. She would _never_ forget it.

Moreover, Dani remembered the night her husband had caused a blackout. How he’d locked himself in the conference room, ignoring her desperate pleas to open the door as he strongly considered electroshocking himself into oblivion. She knew how little regard he’d held for his own wellbeing. 

The messes he'd often got himself into were all just attempts to know the worth of his life and that _killed_ her. It killed her when he’d go off and do dangerous, life threatening things. That reaction–a reaction Dani never had before was how she knew she was falling in love with him. At the time, there was nothing worse than keeping those feelings to herself, knowing she might never get the chance to speak them–to act on them.

Dani didn’t like to think about those things–she didn’t like revisiting those memories but Mother’s Day had reinforced her worst nightmare. 

Life without Malcolm Bright wasn’t a life Dani wanted. He was her _everything_. What Malcolm told her–what she _knew_ had stayed with her but here he was telling her that he was happy. Dani had been there when he’d solemnly admitted that he could never be. The pain Martin had inflicted upon him–upon his family–was too much to overcome. 

Hearing that back then hurt her deeply because Dani knew Malcolm was so much more than The Surgeon’s son–she’d known that since the first day they met. 

Dani badly wanted happiness for him and she’d wanted it with her. It had taken a while but Malcolm did eventually find it–he’d found it with not just her but with them–their daughter and in nine months time, their son too. 

She felt the tears prickle the back of her throat again. Dani looked at her husband over her shoulder, seeing the earnestness, the optimism shining through his nearly translucent eyes, “It makes _me_ very happy to hear that.”

Just as Malcolm was about to close the distance between his lips and hers, Dani felt a little hand tugging at the hem of her dress. She looked down to see Zahra with her KAWS Elmo plush in tow. Dani had dressed her daughter in a black satin dress and little Dr. Martens. She’d also matched a black satin hair bow and fastened it to her curly dark golden brown high ponytail.

As Dani had ducked in the shower to get herself ready, she’d left Zahra on the couch in the living room with her tablet, hoping it would occupy their daughter long enough for her to get dressed and do her hair and makeup. The games on her tablet had held mini Malcolm’s attention about as long as Dani expected them to–which wasn’t very long at all.

Dani blinked looking into her daughter’s doll-like face, her little girl undoubtedly wondering why Mommy hadn’t picked her up yet. She realized that they had some very important news to share with Zahra too. 

“Uh…Bright…how are we gonna…?" She trailed off, wondering exactly how this was going to go. Zahra thrived on getting both of their attention at any given time and now, things would be a little different.

Malcolm squatted down, scooping Zahra up into his arms with a grin, “I’ve got an idea.”

––––––––––––––––

As soon as Malcolm saw Dani’s trepidation, he understood and he knew exactly how they could break the news to their daughter that she was now a big sister. 

Walking over to the large black and white photo he had mounted on the wall, “Who’s that, sweetheart?” he asked, pointing to the photo.

“Mommy.” Zahra pointed to Dani in the photo, her then waist length curls spilling over her shoulders “And Daddy.” Zahra pointed at him, on one knee in the photo kissing Dani’s nine months pregnant belly.

Malcolm smiled, “That’s right, sweetheart. You wanna know who else is in the picture?” Zahra nodded. He pointed to Dani’s heavily pregnant belly, “That’s you.”

“That Zahra?” she asked, looking up at him, her little brows furrowed, looking skeptical. Malcolm kissed her forehead, feeling so incredibly soft for this little girl who looked so very much like him at this moment. 

“It is. For a long time, you were in Mommy’s tummy and we couldn’t wait to meet you but we had to wait until you were ready and when you were, it made Mommy and I very, very happy. Now, we have to wait to meet another baby.”

Though Zahra was only two years old; like a little sponge, she absorbed everything. She understood things very well. He and Dani talked to her like an adult and explained everything they could to her. That said, Malcolm hoped he’d been able to explain all of this in a way that made sense. As he watched his daughter’s big ice blue eyes fill with tears, Malcolm realized that Zahra understood what he was telling her, she just didn’t like it.

“ _I’m_ the baby!” Zahra cried, her little cheeks turning pink. The tears now flowing freely as she hugged herself to him. Her little arms wrapping around his neck. 

Malcolm gently rubbed Zahra’s back. He caught Dani’s panicked “What are we gonna do?” look and he winked at her over Zahra’s curly head. 

He had this under control. 

Malcolm remembered how he and Ainsley had grown up and he didn’t want the same for his kids. He remembered how consumed his mother had been with his issues and his problems after his father had gotten arrested while barely being able to deal with her own. 

Malcolm knew how neglected and forgotten his sister felt and those feelings had persisted long after they’d become adults. He didn’t want that for Zahra. He didn’t want her to feel like she didn’t matter, like her parents didn’t see her. He certainly didn’t want her growing up resentful of her little sister. 

The Whitly’s stabbed each other in the back–they threw each other under the bus–they only protected each other when they absolutely had to. It was the way it had always been with them–dysfunction was their normal but it wouldn’t be for his new family–Malcolm would make sure of it.

“Don’t cry, angel” Malcolm soothed, he gently unwound Zahra’s little arms from his neck, forcing her to look at him. He lightly brushed her tears away, kissing her forehead. “Look at the picture.”

He turned so his little girl could face the photo fully, pointing at Dani’s pregnant belly, “This was _you_! You _are_ Mommy’s baby, isn’t that right?” Zahra nodded as he shifted her so she faced him fully, her still sad ice blue eyes a mirror image of his own. Malcolm leaned in conspiratorially, asking a question his little girl most definitely knew the answer to, “And you are Daddy’s…?” 

“Sweetheart!” Zahra finished, sounding much more like herself, putting her little hands on both sides of his stubbled face, giggling.

“That’s right! You’re Daddy’s sweetheart.” Malcolm said, smiling as he punctuated his point with repeated kisses to her little face, laughing as she squealed happily. “And you always will be.”

Zahra suddenly pulled away, her little brow furrowing once again, looking very serious, “Always, always?”

Malcolm hugged her tighter to his chest, “Always, always, my love.”


	3. Chapter 3

Malcolm sat in the conference room at the precinct, staring straight ahead as he’d been doing for so long he’d lost track–the profile he was supposed to be crafting completely abandoned. 

The day had started like any other day except that Dani had a doctor’s appointment that morning. He’d held her hand as their obstetrician moved the ultrasound over her now five months pregnant belly. Malcolm was very familiar with the human pregnancy cycle as he’d double majored in biology in undergrad but there was something undoubtably magical about seeing the life he helped create through the monitor.

Their doctor, Dr. Wallace, a kindly grey haired man who’d been delivering babies longer than Malcolm had been alive–hand selected by his mother for his experience and sterling credentials, the same doctor who’d delivered Zahra, had reassured them that all was going according to plan and Dani was perfectly healthy as was their son.

_Their son._

Malcolm’s vision blurred and he'd felt the air rush out of his lungs. His hand spasmed around Dani’s and she looked up at him from the exam table, her seraphic smile falling away–her mouth tightening with worry as she took in what likely looked like horror on his face at the news. 

Not for a moment did he ever consider that she could possibly be carrying his son. As soon as Dani told him this was happening for a second time, his mind immediately conjured up images of a sweet-faced little girl with dark hair and eyes. A little Dani for him to adore. Now, Malcolm was faced with the realization that there would eventually be another boy the Whitly name would always follow.

Malcolm knew that burden well. He’d been the ticking time bomb, the loaded gun, the one in the eyes of many who was destined to hurt people, even as a child. He remembered the sneers–the looks of distrust and of fear from those who’d labeled him as a monster. 

As an adult, Malcolm had done so very much to prove to everyone that he was good–that he wasn’t his father. He threw himself into cases, willing justice into existence all the while knowing that no matter what: once a Whitly, always a Whitly. That fact had been shoved in his face over and over again. Malcolm wondered if people would look at his son the same way? Would his son be doomed from the start, just as he had been? Would his son carry the same burdens he did–haunted, lost and afraid of his own mind?

Malcolm would never wish his struggles on anyone but he’d done worse–he’d just passed them on.

––––––––––––––––

“ _Come on, boy!_ ” His father shouted, taunting him. 

He tried never to give his father a reaction but he always did. His whole body reacted with the same thing it always did: fear. He knew those words and he knew them well.

He walked slowly towards the person he despised with everything within him, the person responsible for all of his pain. He held the needle steady, pointing it at his father’s chest–his jaw flexing. He wasn’t a killer but in this moment, he really wanted to be. 

“It’s the only way…” 

“ _My boy_ ,” His father grinned in twisted delight, mocking him even now. Malcolm didn’t think–he just did. He plunged the needle into his father’s chest–Martin’s screams echoing off the walls of the dim cell.

A voice cut into the sounds of his father’s agony–a voice that hadn’t been present then, “Bright! Wake up!”

–––––––––––––––––

“Bright, wake up. It’s just a dream. It’s just a bad dream.” Malcolm slowly opened his eyes, he inhaled deeply taking in the scent of Dove soap instead of the acrid scent of his father’s lifeblood pooling on the floor of Claremont Psychiatric. As he felt slender arms encircle him tightly, he realized he was in his apartment and he must’ve fallen asleep on the couch.

He buried his face in his wife’s coconut scented curls, his hands fisting in an old shirt of his from undergrad she wore, trying to get himself under control. Trying to remain rooted in the fact that he was safe and she had him as she always did.

Malcolm had almost gotten himself steady, before horror flooded his body, “Where’s Zahra?” 

He knew how he got when the night terrors took control of him. He never wanted his daughter to see him that way. Malcolm couldn’t bear it if Zahra curiously ventured out of her room only to be afraid of what she saw or worse–afraid for _him_. His sweetheart was playful and carefree in a way he’d never been as a child. Zahra had only gotten good things from him–his darkness hadn’t infected her–all his little girl had ever known was light and Malcolm very much wanted to keep it that way. When Zahra thought of Daddy, Malcolm only wanted her to remember his smiles, his laughter, his hugs and kisses. He never wanted her to see his sadness–his uncontrollable terror, his trauma.

“Shh…” Dani soothed him, shifting a bit so she sat fully in his lap, her long bare legs circling behind him, her belly creating space between them. She knew contact helped him. He’d been contact starved for so long–it had led to terrible decisions–decisions that had clouded his judgement and confused him. Dani knew that as well and in turn, she loved on him whenever he needed it, which from her was almost all of the time.

“Dani, you don’t understand. She can’t see me like this,” he was dangerously close to a panic attack, wondering if his daughter had heard his screams. Had Zahra seen him trembling as he clung tightly to her mother? 

“ _Babe_ , it’s fine.” Dani cradled his face, her fingertips lightly brushing along his jawline. Her big brown eyes full of concern–full of love. A love he’d seen in her eyes long before he’d actually known what to do with it. Malcolm knew he must’ve _really_ worried her and he felt the guilt settle heavily in his stomach. He should be supporting her. He should’ve echoed her joy this morning. He should be celebrating with her now and yet, he was making her pregnancy difficult–again. “Zahra’s spending the night at Grandpa’s. I had a feeling we’d have a night like this–especially when you didn’t come back to work after you said you needed some air.”

Malcolm could never hide from Dani. She always _knew_ and it had been that way from the beginning, “Did you tell Gil?” 

Malcolm had sleepwalked through work today, even before the claustrophobic feeling that had taken root inside of his mind had become too much to bear. Gil probably knew something was up too. Malcolm was just in no mood to talk about it–he didn’t want to put a name to each and every one of the fears running through his head.

“No, I thought I’d let you do that,” Dani said softly. She’d known from the panic stricken look on his face and the tremors she immediately felt running through his hand this morning after her ultrasound that this would happen. She’d expected it but it had saddened her. It had been two years since Malcolm’s last visit to The Surgeon but immediately he’d let Martin have his say in their lives and the life they’d soon bring into the world.

Dani had wanted to tell Gil. There was a tiny part of her that wanted someone to share her happiness with and she knew Gil would be ecstatic at the news of a grandson but Dani also knew that was a conversation he and Malcolm needed to have together first. Malcolm needed reassurance that Gil would have his back in this just as he always had. Martin had sired him but it was Gil who’d truly fathered him and Malcolm needed to be reminded of that.

Malcolm sighed heavily, relieved that there wasn’t a chance their daughter had witnessed his episode. Before, he could completely relax, he realized that he didn’t know how long he’d been violently thrashing about before he came to. Before he realized he was in the arms of his wife and not back in his father’s cell. 

“ _Please_ , tell me I didn’t hurt you.” This was what Malcolm had always been afraid of. This was why he’d hidden himself away in his study, the first time. Dani’s first priority was to keep herself and their son safe and it killed him that they’d need protection from _him_. He could’ve already hurt his son. He could already be fathering in the mode of The Surgeon.

Malcolm had absolutely no control over himself when the night terrors took hold of him. He searched Dani’s beautiful face. He searched for some sign that he’d struck her in any way. Her deep brown eyes remained warm, through he couldn’t miss the worry etched in them.

“You didn’t, I promise. I got home pretty late and you were already asleep, so I went to bed. I didn’t know what was happening until I heard…” She trailed off, not wanting him to feel bad about _everything_. Though that was exactly how he felt. 

Dani could take care of herself–easily but Malcolm felt insanely protective over her, especially as she got nearer to term. He couldn’t stand having her out of his sight. Malcolm needed to know that if something–anything–happened, he could get to his wife quickly but today he hadn’t been able to do that. 

Malcolm had been so caught up in fighting the one demon who never seemed to leave him, he’d abandoned Dani when she needed him most. She had to leave work to pick up their daughter from daycare and because of him and how he’d behaved earlier, she’d known to send their daughter away to safety. 

He’d allowed her to come home alone. They always left work together to pick up Zahra from daycare before coming home. Due to their extenuating circumstances, Grandpa allowed them to leave early and work remotely, Skyping them in if they had a case. 

Every day, Malcolm would grab Dani’s things, holding her hand as he helped her into the car. Malcolm knew Gil would see to it that Dani left the precinct safely, but he should’ve been the one to do that today. _He_ was Dani's husband and he’d left her on her own. The shame burned in his stomach, fusing and melding to form a lump in his throat. 

Malcolm couldn’t have felt more like a failure than he did at this very moment.

He’d failed her once today, he couldn’t do it again. Dani protected him–she always had but Malcolm had to protect her too.“You can’t do that anymore though. If I’m like that, you have to leave me.”

Dani’s full lips flattened into a tight line, “I’m not gonna leave you here to suffer, Bright. When have I _ever_ done that? Listen…I know you’re looking for reasons to pull away from me right now but that’s not happening. We’re gonna talk about it.”

Malcolm didn’t know what to tell her. He didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t disappoint her. What could he say that wouldn’t sound like he didn’t want the child growing inside of her? 

He sighed, “Dani… I can’t father a son. How can I? Knowing how my own father never loved me in the slightest. Knowing that the closest thing to love he has ever shown me is admitting that the reason I’m sitting here with you right now is because he _chose_ not to kill me.” 

As he spoke the very thing had haunted him–that stayed with him since that fateful night he spent deep beneath his family home–the very thing he’d long tried to bury but this morning came rushing back to the surface, he waited for a condemnation that never came. 

Malcolm wouldn’t have blamed his wife for being angry with him as he was ruining what should be an endlessly happy moment for her. He’d taken so many of her happy moments and made them sad. He’d done it to her first Mother’s Day and he’d done it as she carried their first child. He was doing it again right now and he’d give anything to stop. Just once, he wanted to be a normal husband for her.

Dani scooted closer to him–or as close as her growing belly would allow. Her soft hands never left his face as she cupped his cheeks–making sure he understood her. A slow smile spread over her impossibly pretty face, “ _That_ is exactly why this needed to happen.”

Malcolm blinked at her, not at all understanding what she was getting at. “You have a chance undo all of that with _your_ son. Martin gave you pain and deceit and cruelty, you can give love because I _know_ you have a lot of it. I remember you telling Gil that he showed you what a good man looks like–what a good man is. I have no doubt that you will show our son the very same thing,” Dani said, her dimples appearing through that smile he couldn’t live without.

Malcolm felt himself tremble once more though this time, it wasn’t from fear. Dani’s unwavering belief always left him shaken. She believed in him when he couldn’t believe in himself. That knowledge was the reason he couldn’t bear to let her go even before they’d gotten together. He’d made many mistakes in his life but he wouldn’t allow himself to make that one.

For the longest, he’d pushed her away, his fear had refused to allow him to give into what he needed–what he’d been missing his entire life. That guilt ate at him even now–he hated that it took hurting her, for him to want to do better.

Malcolm watched as she gently brushed away tears he hadn’t even realized he’d shed. 

Dani slowly removed her hands from his face, gently reaching behind to where his own hands supported her back and placed them on her stomach–covering them with her own–their matching platinum rings catching the moonlight coming in from the window, “Bright, you and I will reverse that cycle because our story is a different one. This is a history only you and I can write.” 

Exactly as she’d said that, Malcolm felt a little foot tap his hand and he realized right then that he’d been here before. Malcolm remembered the moment his daughter had given him her trust and now his son had done the same. 

The tears continued pouring down his face, falling over their joined hands.

–––––––––––––––

Malcolm watched the steady rise and fall of Dani’s chest. He took in the peace written across each one of her features as she rested comfortably. He knew his wife got tired a lot faster now and seeing her so relaxed, calmed him.

Malcolm constantly watched her face for any signs of panic or pain but that wasn’t why he was staring at her this morning. Her shoulder length curls splayed over the pillow, her long black eyelashes casting shadows over the tops of her cheeks, her full lips slightly parted. Dani’s delicate beauty held him in place, unable to look anywhere else. She was so pretty and for reasons he still couldn’t understand–she was his.

After his episode, Dani had convinced him to come to bed. All of the alarms in his head told him to keep his distance but after leaving her on her own for so long yesterday, all Malcolm truly wanted was to hold his wife. 

He wanted to feel like he could protect her–protect them. Dani was naturally quite small and she remained that way even in pregnancy–a constant reminder of just how fragile she was in such a state. His arms around her was the only thing that gave him some modicum of repose for his troubled mind.

As if feeling his eyes on her, Dani stirred. Her dark eyes opening slowly–curiously, “What?” she murmured sleepily.

“Nothing. You’re beautiful, that’s all,” Malcolm said softly.

Dani wrinkled her nose adorably as a pink flush colored her cheeks. He loved that after three years and nearly two kids later, he could still make her blush like the first time. Malcolm remembered that moment well. His feelings for Dani had only been a small glimmer of hope in the sea of hopelessness that had engulfed him at the time. He didn’t know much then–all he knew was the awe he felt as he watched her slowly make her way out of the dressing room in that shimmering oxblood gown. It was the same awe he felt right now.

“All I am, at the moment, is super pregnant,” she said dryly, her still flushed cheeks betraying her sarcasm.

Malcolm grinned as he gently stroked the high ark of her cheekbone, “And yet, I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you are right now.”

“What do you want?” Dani shifted slowly, turning over, propping herself up on one elbow, smirking. “It can’t possibly be business because that’s how we got here…again.”

Malcolm snorted despite himself. In the midst of some of his worst bouts of melancholia, Dani always managed to make him laugh. “If I remember correctly, this time that was _you_ , not me. But of course, who am I to deny my incredibly gorgeous and _shockingly agile_ –"

Dani quickly covered his mouth with her hand, her cheeks now flaming. “Bright, stop talking.” 

He laughed as he gently removed her hand, lovingly brushing his lips over her knuckles. There were few things Malcolm loved more than getting Dani flustered but as much as he loved teasing her, there were still things he had to get off his chest. 

“Dani, I’m sorry for yesterday. I should’ve been there for you and I wasn’t. I should’ve been happy. We should’ve celebrated but instead I hid from you–from all of you. I…can’t even tell you how terrible I feel.”

The embarrassment of letting her down again, allowed his gaze to drift to her left hand where he absently played with the three rings on her finger, knowing she’d soon be adding a fourth.

Dani attempted to sit up, groaning a bit at the effort and Malcolm’s arms immediately wrapped around her in support. She shot him a grateful smile as she scooted closer. “Bright, it’s okay. I’m not mad or disappointed in you.” She looked down as one of the hands that supported her back had migrated to her stomach, rubbing it gently. “I know you love me and I know you love our children but I also know that love doesn’t magically erase all the other stuff. It’s hard even now but I’m always gonna be here to make it easier.”

Malcolm frowned. “You shouldn’t have to–" She cut him off for the second time this morning, placing a slender finger over his lips.

“Now, you just feel like arguing with me. Besides, I think it’s time to go collect our wild one from Grandpa and also Asa is stepping on my bladder,” Dani said as she tried to extricate herself from her husband’s embrace, wondering if he’d caught on to what she’d casually let slip. 

She watched as mild amusement slowly shifted into realization, his heavily lashed ice blue eyes widening, “Wait...you named him? You named our son...” 

Dani smiled, “I did. Somehow I always knew we were having a boy so on the ride over to your mom’s house that day we found out, I went looking and yeah...I decided on Asa. It’s Hebrew for–“

“Cure.” Malcolm finished softly with a tenderness she’d longed to see in his eyes since yesterday morning. Dani shook her head, smiling to herself. _Of course, he’d know what it means._ Her husband was nothing if not a wealth of obscure knowledge. 

“I was right there when you said you couldn’t be happy–when you said the hurt from being Martin Whitly's son was too much and I think in time, Asa Malcolm Bright will cure that.”

Staring into his eyes at his very moment was akin to watching the sun come out from behind the darkest of storm clouds. She saw the pain, the fear, the anxiety and trepidation be replaced by joy. Nothing else but radiant, unfiltered _joy_. 

Right then, Dani knew that this final chapter to their story–a finality that was also a beginning–would start with happily ever after.


	4. Chapter 4

Malcolm sat at his desk in his study, staring holes into his notes. He was at the point to whereas maybe if he stared long enough a profile would magically appear in his mind. 

They had a new case–a triple homicide and immediately it reminded him of three murders his father committed in 1995. He searched through one of Martin’s journals but the correlation wasn’t one to one. This killer’s methodology was similar but not enough to call him a copycat. 

Malcolm groaned, leaning back in his high-backed leather chair, unsuccessfully trying not to let frustration get the better of him. It was at this point he would’ve gone to Claremont Psychiatric, seeking his father’s help. 

He didn’t do that anymore. Malcolm hadn’t done that for three years now. He absently wondered if his father knew he now had kids of his own. 

Malcolm would be very surprised if Martin didn’t. He knew everything about his former family. Malcolm remembered a time when he’d gone back to his father, grudgingly looking for help once again with a case and Martin tauntingly congratulated him and his partner on “finally making it official.” 

He and Dani’s wedding had gotten more media coverage than even the Taylor wedding they’d crashed together once upon a time. Apparently everyone found it absolutely fascinating that the son of the most famous serial killer since Jack the Ripper was marrying law enforcement. 

Malcolm had been annoyed at his sister’s television station covering his wedding live. His mother, however, had been thrilled at her chance to put the Taylors to shame–as her son’s proceedings were “far more tasteful and no one almost died.”

All of New York watched him say his vows to the woman who held dominion over him–heart and soul. That had also included his father.

At his mother’s behest, both of his kids had Catholic christenings which had also made the society papers. His father _knew_ , Malcolm was sure of it but he wouldn’t allow his father to claim his children, the way he himself had been claimed by The Surgeon’s evil. 

Malcolm would never allow Martin to call himself their grandfather–he would _never_ exist to them. When Dani was pregnant with Zahra he had known those visits couldn’t continue. As he’d exited the cell for the very last time, his father called sinisterly, “Give my regards to my lovely daughter-in-law.” 

Martin always knew exactly what to say to keep Malcolm coming back, but that had been the one thing that ensured he never would.

Malcolm took a deep breath, cutting off all memories of his father. He had to focus on the profile. Just as he felt the tension headache forming at his temples, Malcolm watched the door to the study slowly open. From over his desk, he couldn’t see who’d opened it but he certainly had his guesses.

“Dada?” Malcolm turned his chair around, peering down into the curious little face of his son, who’d taken less than three seconds to scramble into his lap. 

As Malcolm had been working–or trying to work, Dani had gotten the kids dressed for bed. She and Zahra were dressed in the matching white pajamas with the little red hearts he’d gotten them for Valentines Day and Asa was in the blue and white pajamas with the little trains on them–one of the many gifts from Lovey. 

His mother had been absolutely delighted at the addition of her “little love” and just she spoiled Zahra, she’d done the same for Asa including throwing him an elaborate amusement park themed party for his first birthday a little over two weeks ago.

Malcolm remembered his mother pointedly making a comment about “popping out a couple of grandchildren.” He’d been unamused at the time but life truly did come at him fast.

He and Dani’s relationship had been unorthodox to say the least. They’d only been together for nearly four years yet they were married with two kids to show for it. As far as Malcolm was concerned, Dani knew everything about him. She knew about the ugly things, the shameful things, the painful things and she accepted him–loved him anyway. Malcolm didn’t want anyone else–he never would and he'd already wasted enough time. He wanted forever and he'd wanted it with Dani.

“Yes, my son?” He asked, adopting Asa’s serious tone, coming out of his momentary reverie. Asa settled himself fully and Malcolm’s arms wrapped around his tiny one year old, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, wondering how his son had gotten away from Dani and crawled up to the second floor all by himself. That said, wondering how his kids ended up anywhere they weren’t supposed to be was often a futile exercise.

It was strange, both Zahra and Asa were the two sides to his coin. Zahra had gotten his energy, his penchant for acting before thinking. She loved seeing how things worked, she didn’t wait to be told. Asa was completely different, he was quieter–more observant. Asa loved to follow Malcolm around, pointing out things he wanted explained to him. This fact was also why Asa seemed to always find him when he was working–climbing into his lap or sidling up next to him.

Malcolm adored the fact that his son liked spending time with him but he couldn’t help but remember how he used to do the very same thing with Martin. 

At ten years old, he’d been fascinated with watching his father work in his study. Back then, he’d trusted that what Martin had told him was good but he’d been betrayed. His trust manipulated and warped into something ugly.

 _Remember, you and I are the same._ His father’s deep baritone reverberated through his mind and Malcolm tightened his hold on Asa automatically. Malcolm wondered what he was exposing his son to especially as he looked down and saw Asa busily flipping through his father’s journal he’d left open on the desk.

Malcolm quickly though gently, peeled his son’s little fingers off of the journal. Moving the it to the farthest corner of the large Walnut desk as if physically separating his father from his son.

Asa looked up at him, clearly confused as to why Dada wasn’t explaining this particular thing to him as Malcolm explained everything else that caught his interest. 

Malcolm gently re-situated Asa in his lap so they faced each other.

When Dani was pregnant, Malcolm wondered what his son would look like. Would he see himself when he looked at him? As with Zahra, Asa had all of his features and Dani’s fair olive complexion. He and Asa had the same dimpled smile that made their eyes crinkle. Asa also had his hair–only the slightest bit of wave inherited from Dani. 

Because they were so close in age and looked so very similar, Zahra and Asa were often mistaken for twins.

That said, it was his son’s eyes that had made all the difference to him. Asa’s heavily lashed deep silvery-brown eyes. Eyes that were something new–something different and unlike anything Malcolm had ever seen before. Though Asa looked _very_ much like him, Malcolm always came back to those eyes. Eyes that held a softness and a sparkle that his own eyes never held as a child. _His_ eyes had carried unfathomable burdens, an unfathomable weight, a weariness a child should never have. The ever present sparkle in his son’s eyes was all Dani and though her eyes were much darker, when Malcolm looked at his son–all he saw was her.

Malcolm lightly smoothed the furrowed space between his son’s brows with a fingertip before softly brushing Asa’s dark golden brown hair back, “I love you, kiddo.”

Those were words Malcolm had only heard from his father until he’d become an adult who’d discovered the true depth of his father’s depravity. It was a dead sentiment coming from someone with a heart that was just the same and it had fallen on deaf ears. 

As little as Asa was, Malcolm always wanted his son to know that he was loved unconditionally and wholeheartedly. 

Asa smiled up at him, his little hands on both of his stubbled cheeks, “Love Dada.”

Malcolm scrunched his nose, making his son laugh, “You love _me_?” 

Asa nodded emphatically and Malcolm could scarcely stop himself from absolutely melting. “I love _you_ so very much more,” he said to the other little person he’d die a hundred times to protect.

––––––––––––––

“Mama book,” Asa murmured from the crook of Dani’s neck, knowing what time it was, pointing to the leather-bound hardcover on the bookshelf. As with Zahra, Malcolm had fully stocked Asa’s bookshelves with poetry volumes and other books he loved from childhood.

After she and the kids finished watching the original _Toy Story_ , Dani announced it was time for bed as two sleepy, grumpy toddlers made the following morning’s routine next to impossible. 

Immediately, Dani tightened her hold on Zahra who had watched the movie from her lap as her daughter was prone to trying to run away in an attempt escape her least favorite activity–sleep. If Zahra wasn’t running, she was batting her big ice blue eyes at Daddy, knowing full well how weak he was for her in an attempt to stay up longer.

Dani looked to her right, only to see the spot on the couch where her son should’ve been was empty. Before she could start to panic, Dani saw her husband coming down the stairs with Asa in his arms, their son resting his head on his father’s shoulder, his tiny fist rubbing his eyes. 

Dani wondered just how her son had gotten by her and found his way all the up the stairs to his father. Malcolm grinned at the intense look of displeasure on her face at the fact that both of her kids shared his penchant for adventure. He kissed her cheek, “Take it easy, Mama Bear, he’s fine.”

“Okay, but how are they fifty percent me but a hundred percent you?” 

If Dani wasn’t hurriedly snatching Zahra from one of Malcolm’s bookshelves she’d climbed to the top of, she was frantically searching the apartment for whatever crawlspace Asa had wedged himself into. It was quite incredible how much Zahra and Asa took after Malcolm in their unfailing ability to find trouble.

Malcolm’s grin widened, “What can I say? We like to keep it interesting.”

“Yeah, _too_ interesting,” Dani grumbled switching kids with him. Asa wrapped his little arms around her neck and Zahra did the same with Malcolm. They were used to this as well.

Since Asa was born she and Malcolm had established a little routine that they mostly stuck to unless their kids insisted upon being difficult as was their way on occasion. 

Malcolm continued to tuck Zahra in, reading to her until she fell asleep and Dani had taken to doing the same for Asa. They then switched to give their respective “I love you’s” and “goodnights.” Their partnership evolving into parenthood.

As Malcolm disappeared down the hallway with Zahra slung over his shoulder, the two of them making far more noise than what was necessary for bedtime, Dani in turn made her way with Asa to his room across the hall.

 _“Tyger Tyger, burning bright_  
_In the forests of the night;_  
_What immortal hand or eye,_   
_Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”_

Dani read from a heavy leather-bound hardcover her husband had purchased as she sat in another antique rocking chair, this one darker than the one in Zahra’s room, her son in her lap curled up in the crook of her neck. 

She could tell it would be minutes before Asa was knocked out as her baby boy scooted closer to her, tucking himself neatly under her chin as he always did when he was sleepy. His ear directly over her heartbeat.

Poetry was her husband’s thing but Dani had developed a bit of an appreciation for it too, after spending so many nights watching from the doorway as Malcolm read to Zahra, beaming with pride when Zahra started to learn how to read the words herself.

She always came back to this particular poem by William Blake. Dani liked the idea of a tiger who rose above all things because in her mind, her son would be the same way. Like the tiger, Asa was at the center of it all. No matter what challenges he’d face as he got older, his fight, his strength, his will would be unmatched just like his father’s.

Dani knew how people judged her husband–she knew how he was constantly punished for the things he hadn’t done. She wondered if people would do the same to her son. Her son who was the sweetest, most loving little boy imaginable. 

The world hadn’t been kind to Malcolm and that fact had made Dani all the more protective over him. That protection extended and intensified when it came to her son. Dani knew Asa wouldn’t always have the world’s kindness either but those who went against him would undoubtably have to deal with _her_. She would _always_ protect Asa’s easy smile and gentle spirit. He wouldn’t know fear the way Malcolm had–she’d make sure of it.

_“When the stars threw down their spears_  
_And water'd heaven with their tears:_  
_Did he smile his work to see?_  
_Did he who made the Lamb make thee?”_

Dani read, her voice breaking into a whisper, knowing right away by Asa’s steady breaths that he’d fallen asleep. 

–––––––––––––––

After tucking in Zahra, Malcolm watched from the doorway as Dani continued to rock their sleeping son. So many nights after Asa was born, he watched Dani fall asleep in that chair with their son cradled in her arms. 

_Did he smile his work to see? Did he who made the Lamb make thee?_ Dani’s whispered words echoed in Malcolm’s mind. 

Both Zahra and Asa had William Blake’s _Songs of Innocence and Experience_ on their respective bookshelves. There was a poem from the “Songs of Innocence” section, “The Lamb” that he often read to Zahra especially as an infant, early on when she’d wake up crying in the middle of the night. 

As he was already up, Malcolm would go to their daughter, allowing Dani to get the rest she desperately needed. He remembered how Zahra’s cries would subside almost the second he held her. He remembered how his presence calmed her.

He would recite that particular poem as he rocked her because just like the lamb, Malcolm couldn’t believe something so innocent–so small–had been gifted and entrusted to him. From the age of ten, all Malcolm had ever known was death but his daughter was proof that he helped give life. 

Dani reading Asa “The Tyger” from “Songs of Experience” meant something to him as all of Malcolm’s experiences growing up affected him differently when it came to having a son but as he was slowly finding out, that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. It really made him think that in spite of the uneven odds, beauty lifted from the earth.

That said, there were still days Malcolm could almost feel Martin looking over his shoulder as he spent time with Asa. Malcolm could almost feel it as he read to his son or while the two of them sat on the floor looking at maps of the world or biology diagrams–all of the things his son had taken an interest in. The very same things that had interested him when he was younger.

 _Remember, you and I are the same._ Those words never left him but Malcolm knew they weren’t the truth. The truth was that he’d been manipulated and abused by his father but those experiences–that knowledge–allowed Malcolm to give all the love he had to his son.

The innocence of doing all of this–becoming a father–for the first time was valuable but there was something even _more_ valuable about the experience of having done it already and doing it all again, this time _knowing_ he could. 

–––––––––––––––

Dani was always hesitant to leave Asa and Malcolm knew why. 

When Dani looked at their baby boy, Malcolm knew that she undeniably saw _him_. She knew he hadn’t been protected and he should’ve been. That wouldn’t happen to her son. 

Looking at his wife and son together, Malcolm wondered how he could’ve ever feared this. How he could’ve ever thought that this would be anything but amazing. Seeing Dani and Asa together did so much for him without them even knowing it. 

His own relationship with his mother was a good one. It hadn’t always been but Jessica had done what she could for him under the worst circumstances possible. That said, he and his mother had always been emotionally reserved toward each other, especially when he was growing up. Affection wasn’t exactly something they ever felt comfortable expressing toward one another even now. Moreover, Malcolm hadn’t been great at expressing emotions and his mother hadn’t been great at handling them so they’d decided against dealing with it altogether. 

Dani and Asa’s relationship would be completely different–it already was. His wife had no shortage of affection for her baby boy. Not a single day went by where Dani didn’t smother Asa in hugs and kisses and laughter and love. 

Malcolm remembered the words Dani spoke to Asa, the moment he’d been placed into her arms for the very first time. They were the same words she spoke to him every night as she tucked him in: _Mommy’s got you._


	5. Chapter 5

Dani stood at the kitchen island looking over the stack of paperwork she’d let multiply on her desk over the past week. There was a time in the not-so-distant past where she used to stay at the precinct, diligently reading through everything that demanded her signature, sometimes staying until midnight as she had no other concerns or obligations back then.

These days, everything that didn’t get completed by the time Gil allowed her to leave got stuffed into the black calfskin Celine mini luggage bag that Malcolm had bought her as she headed out the door. At the end of it, all Dani cared about was getting home to her husband and her kids–her loves. 

That said, all of the things she put off did eventually have to get done and since they didn’t currently have a case–their most recent one had stalled–and it was a relatively quiet morning, today was as good as any.

Dani glanced up, making sure her kids were still where she’d left them and they weren’t fighting or throwing toys at each other after finishing up with breakfast. 

Zahra was on the couch cocooned in her lavender cashmere blanket with her best friend KAWS Elmo, her attention fixed on the early morning cartoons. Asa was in his own world as well. Her son on his play mat, his head buried in a popup book. 

The only one missing was Papa Bear himself.

Malcolm had snuck out of the house very early this morning, before she’d gotten up. He’d left her with a vague text telling her that he had “some things to take care of” and that he loved her. 

Dani knew he was up to something.

As she turned her attention back to her work, Dani heard the door open, her husband slipping in, hanging his black pea coat on the rack. 

Malcolm looked casual in his slate gray marled sweater and slim dark jeans. He looked far too relaxed to have gone to the precinct and judging by the strange yet excited look on his face, he was _definitely_ up to something.

She watched him kiss both Zahra and Asa good morning before walking into the kitchen, over to her.

“Does Mommy get a good morning kiss too?” Dani asked with a smirk.

Malcolm wrapped his arms around her, his hands coming to rest on her hips. “But of course. Mommy gets whatever she wants,” he said with a grin, kissing her soundly. 

“So are you gonna tell me where you were or do I have to ask?”

That strange excitement filling his nearly translucent eyes intensified and his hands moved to her shoulders, squeezing them. Dani braced herself, when her husband got like this, God only knew what was about to happen.

“Okay, so what do you think about buying a house? I think the kids could use more space.”

Dani blinked at him. This was not at all the conversation she expected to have, “More space? Bright, we’re not exactly tripping over each other here.” 

Both Zahra and Asa had their own rooms and they still had a guest room to spare. The kids were able to run around as they did almost constantly. She and Malcolm had found room for all of the things they needed after having kids without the apartment feeling cluttered. Dani honestly didn’t see why they needed to live anywhere else.

“No, but for so long, this place felt so big–so empty. I mean, it was just me and Sunshine,” he said, the excitement in his ice clear eyes dimming–turning plaintive. “Now, I guess it’s starting to feel a bit small.”

Dani softened, “You really wanna move to the suburbs though? Like are we really _those_ parents?”

Malcolm laughed and she was grateful to see the levity return to his eyes, “I don’t think we’ll ever be _those_ parents but what if it’s just to Tarrytown? It's only like 13 miles outside Manhattan, nothing will really change.”

Dani looked up at him, “You really put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?”

“I know you think I just _do_ things.” She shot him a high browed look and Malcolm continued on quickly, “And that’s fair but from the start, you and I have always been about new beginnings, maybe it’s time for one more?”

Dani pursed her lips, she wasn’t ready to agree to this. Glancing down, she saw Asa, their curious little detective, venturing into the kitchen to see what his parents were doing. 

Malcolm followed her eyes and reaching down, scooping him up, kissing his cheek, “What do you think about moving, kiddo?”

“Moving?” Asa echoed, looking up at his father questioningly.

Malcolm’s smile widened, “Yes! You and Zahra will have so much more space now. Dada will have a much bigger kitchen to cook for you guys. You’ll also have a big backyard and we’ll still be close to Grandpa and Lovey.” 

Dani narrowed her eyes at her husband blatantly using their son to help make his sales pitch.

“What do you say, kiddo? Does that sound like a plan?”

“Plan, Dada” Asa agreed happily, the two of them beaming at each other, their twin smiles disarming her more by the second.

Dani felt her resolve crumbling. Her boys were pretty irresistible and their combined cuteness made saying no almost impossible. 

“What do _you_ say, Mommy?” Malcolm’s cheshire cat smile grew by the minute. He knew he’d won.

Dani sighed, “…Fine…we can start looking…”

“Excellent!” Malcolm bit his lip, his smile all dimples as he returned Asa to the floor. They both watched amusedly as their son calmly walked back to the living room, returning to his book as for the time being, his curiosity satisfied. 

Malcolm snaked his arms around her waist and her own arms wrapped around his neck reflexively. 

“You’re a mess,” Dani said in complete disbelief that in less than 15 minutes her husband had convinced her to uproot their entire lives.

“Ahh..but I’m a mess that works, _obviously_ ,” Malcolm said cheekily, waggling his brows at her.

She shook her head at him, unable to hide her smile, “Since you have this all planned out, when do we meet with the real estate broker?”

“Oh, there’s no need. I closed on the house this morning.”

“ _You did what?!_ ”

––––––––––––––

It had been a month since Malcolm had sprung the fact that he’d bought them a house without telling her. He’d refused to let her see it before it was ready for them to move in as to not ruin the “surprise.” To say Dani was getting anxious would be an understatement.

Late last night, she watched the movers take the last of the things from the apartment to where they’d soon be living in Tarrytown. It had been a bit sad as Tribeca had become her home for almost four years now. 

Malcolm noticed her uncharacteristic melancholia and kissed her temple, promising that his surprise would be well worth it. Her husband’s sweetness only served as a reminder that her home would always be wherever he was.

She looked out of the window of their black Range Rover taking in the idyllic scenery of the village they now called home. Like everything else, Malcolm had upgraded her car as she still insisted upon driving herself around. Jessica had given her full access to her driver, Adolfo, but Dani had a real issue with other people doing for her what she could easily do for herself. 

Now that they would be commuting to the city, she could only imagine the car Malcolm would buy for himself. Actually she didn’t have to imagine. Dani had randomly looked over Malcolm’s shoulder one night as he supposedly worked from his laptop and saw the gunmetal Bentley he was in the process of designing. She knew it was only a matter of time before it appeared in their new driveway.

Dani honestly didn’t care what sweet new ride her husband bought himself, so long as he was able to fit two carseats in the back of it.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, fidgeting with her hands in lap. Today was one of the rare occasions she wore her engagement ring. Dani idly twisted the delicate silver rings she’d moved to her right hand. 

She’d gotten the first two rings made before she’d gone back to work after having Zahra–one with her daughter’s birthstone, the other with her husband’s. While she’d had been on leave, Malcolm had spent nearly every day with her and Zahra, only going to the precinct when his presence was absolutely needed.

As much as Dani loved her job, she’d been a little sad to go back but her rings reminded her that even if her loves weren’t with her every hour of every day, they were still close to her at all times. The morning she went back to work after having Asa, Malcolm had surprised her with a third ring to match her other two–this one with her son’s birthstone. Things like that reminded Dani exactly how she’d fallen in love with Malcolm so quickly.

Her husband had taken the keys as he was the only one who actually knew where they were going. Dani been instructed to just “relax” with Malcolm giving her his signature smile that only worried her more. 

As he pulled into a massive circular driveway, turning off the ignition, Dani’s jaw dropped. The driveway lead to a sprawling gray stone estate with more white windows than she could count. 

_My husband did not buy this._

“Um…Bright, this is not a house. This is Buckingham Palace.” 

“All the better for my queen.” Malcolm smirked at her, hopping out of the car to unbuckle Zahra from her car seat. Dani was still too stunned to roll her eyes at him as she did the same for Asa.

Her baby boy had fallen asleep on the ride over and he immediately clung to her, tucking his head under her chin as she rubbed his back soothingly. 

Malcolm led them to the white pillared entrance, fishing a key out of his pocket, opening the front door. Honestly, Dani thought that by now she’d lost the ability to be surprised by Malcolm Bright but she really should stop thinking that as all he’d ever done was surprise her since the day they'd met.

“Where _are_ we, Daddy?” Zahra asked, wide eyed looking up at him as he held her by the hand. Her astonished expression mirrored Dani’s as they stood in the foyer, taking in all of this. 

When Malcolm said he thought the kids needed more space, she didn’t expect space of this magnitude. She’d thought the mini mansion in New Hampshire that Malcolm called a lake house was excessive but it appeared they could fit that one in the living room alone.

What struck her was just now unlike the apartment it was. The morose and dour interior decor had been replaced with something at once stark yet warm with its tones of white, gray and dark brown. The apartment always felt very him but somehow this all felt very _them_. 

That feeling only magnified as she walked further into the living room, taking in the black and white photos Malcolm had mounted on the wall.

They’d posed for many formal photos as a family, including the portrait that hung in Jessica’s home but most of these were were candids–photos Dani had never seen until now. Photos of the two of them with Zahra and Asa from their respective birthday parties. Her first maternity photo that had hung on the wall in the apartment. A photo of the two of them from their wedding, at the altar with their hands joined. 

She knew all of the photos from Malcolm’s family home were tinged with bitter memories of his father’s abuse and deception. The photos in their new home told a different story–an entirely rewritten one.

That said, she was pleased to see his medieval weaponry still mounted on the wall as it was the very first thing she noticed that first night she brought him home so long ago. Dani’s eyes traveled to the center of the room that had been lowered giving it a den-like appearance. 

That part of the room held three stylish white leather couches with pretty decorative pillows, facing a massive flatscreen with a gas fireplace below it. In between two of the couch was a glass coffee table with Malcolm’s antique cigar box and the books he’d kept on the one at the apartment. Though the room was huge, it felt like somewhere the four of them would curl up together. She could already imagine Asa’s play mat spread out on the floor in front of the fireplace and Zahra snuggled up on the window seat in the corner with KAWS Elmo, her blanket and her tablet.

Dani then surveyed the rest of the room, wondering how many of the little decorative fixtures dotting the space would be destroyed by her children and how long would it take. 

Malcolm smiled down at Zahra, gently brushing her curly ponytail, “This is our house, sweetheart. This is where we live now.” 

He’d been talking to their daughter but Dani herself couldn’t believe it. She watched as Zahra sprinted to the center of the room and down the little steps before settling herself on one of the couches, already knocking one of the pillows to the floor. 

“See? She’s already making herself at home,” Malcolm grinned at their daughter’s exuberance.

“Bright, we will lose our kids in here.” Dani said, looking up and around still mystified by the sheer amount of rooms they now had.

“They’re smart, they’ll find their way around. I mean, they did inherit my expert problem solving skills.”

Dani rolled her eyes, “They also inherited your lack of common sense.”

Malcolm shrugged, “You’ve met my mother and sister…”

At the sound of Zahra’s running feet, Asa lifted his head from her neck, his big silvery-brown eyes curiously taking in his new surroundings. Dani sighed, carding her fingers through Asa’s soft dark golden brown hair, unable to provide a counterpoint, “Okay, Daddy, show us the rest of the house.”

–––––––––––––––––

Dani with Asa followed behind Malcolm and Zahra up the glass spiral staircase to the second level of the house. Zahra, being her father’s daughter, took off running down the incredibly long hallway as though she knew where she was going. Malcolm ran up behind her, scooping her up with a laugh, spinning her around.

Dani watched them, her heart impossibly full. As time went on, it was definitely safe to say Zahra was Daddy’s girl. She loved the side her daughter brought out of her husband. He was Papa Bear always but she loved seeing Malcolm’s playful side–his goofball side. He had a lifetime’s worth of being sad, afraid and closed off. Dani knew from the beginning that fatherhood scared Malcolm to death but as she watched him with their firstborn–he hadn’t a single care in the world.

“The second floor is where all of the bedrooms are,” Malcolm said, his excitement uncontrollable, calling to mind that night from so long ago when the club drugs had exploded in his face. “Right here is the master suite–our room. One door down is Zahra’s room and just across the hall is Asa’s room. I figured it was best to have them close to us in case something happened or we needed to leave quickly.”

Dani nodded approvingly, following him into what he’d just indicated as Zahra’s room. Dani smiled at Zahra’s gasp as her dad set her down on the floor so she could explore her new dwellings properly. 

Zahra new room, designed in regal white and gold was most definitely fit for a princess, complete with an even bigger white four posted canopy big girl bed. Asa’s new room was just as impressive. 

As he was still little, Asa’s dark walnut crib and rocking chair had been transported from the apartment to their new house. But everything else, down to the navy and royal blue color scheme was exactly the type of room Malcolm Bright’s son would have. 

“Now, _our_ room,” Malcolm said practically skipping out of Asa’s room, pulling her by the hand. “What do you think?”

Dani felt her brows disappear into her hairline, their new bedroom was bigger than her old apartment. As with the rest of the house, the theme for their room was modern and minimal in tones of pale gray, white and dark brown. Everything was at once, cozy and stark as she noted the fireplace inside of the exposed brick wall, directly facing their massive new bed. Stepping around one of the fancy white chairs bracketing the bed, Dani noticed the hooks on each side of the dark brown leather headboard where Malcolm’s restraints were discreetly tucked away–one of the few remnants of their old life.

“Um…it’s perfect but also…huge.” As tired as Dani often was after work and wrangling her kids, their new room was honestly the ideal place to unwind with her husband, though she was still having a hard time believing that all of this was hers.

“I know, right?” Malcolm said almost breathlessly, his nearly translucent eyes widening as his enthusiasm grew by the moment. 

Though still completely overwhelmed by all of this, Dani couldn’t help smiling at her husband and how obviously proud he was of his handiwork and it truly was nothing short of amazing that Malcolm had managed to pull all of this off in about a month’s time.

Dani set Asa on the floor so he could walk around a bit as both he and Zahra had now more than enough room to do so. 

She shook her head as almost the second she put her son down, Asa made his way over to Malcolm demanding to be picked back up, which his father happily acquiesced to before taking him to the other side of the room to look out of the window.

“Look Mommy! You can go outside!” Zahra pointed to a set of double doors that led to a balcony overlooking the entire property, excitedly gabbing Dani’s hand to show her. “Can we?”

“Of course, baby but how about when it gets a little warmer out,” Dani replied, seeing Zahra’s inquisitive little face in the window’s reflection looking so very much like her father when presented with a new case. She knew her little girl wouldn’t rest until she explored every inch of their new house. 

Dani squatted down, wrapping her arms around her daughter, squeezing her gently while pressing kisses to her cheek, earning Zahra's signature silver bell laughter as the two of them gazed out of the window, admiring the view which was nothing but bare post-winter trees and the Hudson river off in the distance. 

Though she wasn’t the biggest fan of surprises, her husband had been right and it had most definitely been worth it. Dani realized that somehow in the midst of the bustling city, Malcolm had managed to secure another world just for them.


	6. Chapter 6

After their day of excitement, it hadn’t taken the kids very long to get to bed. They’d tucked Zahra and Asa into their new rooms, reading to them as they usually did. Not too long after, Malcolm had gotten a call from Gil. 

Another body had been found in a far off corner of Central Park. The half constructed profile he had for their case was now obsolete, immediately sending him back to the drawing board quite literally.

Gil had probably left Dani a message too but since he’d designed their new master bathroom to look like a botanical spa, Malcolm knew she’d probably be in there awhile.

Malcolm sat at his dark walnut desk in his new study, one that was much larger and much better equipped for him to work from home, pouring over the new CSU photos Gil sent over, trying to make sense of whatever this now was.

He heard the door open slowly, Malcolm looked up, his eyes landing on long, tanned legs. He watched his wife’s very attractive figure as she inspected the space, her slender fingers absently running along the spines of the books and journals the covered the length of the wall.

“Can I help you?” He smirked.

“Yeah…you can tell me why you chose this picture?” Dani clearly displeased, holding up a photo of the two of them from the their first anniversary party his mother had thrown them.

He looked at her, “It was our first anniversary.”

“I was _pregnant_.” 

Malcolm rolled his eyes. “You were beautiful,” he corrected. 

Dani had been about six months pregnant with Zahra at the time. Malcolm couldn’t see the photo from where she stood but he remembered how stunning she looked in a flowing one shouldered white gown, her hair straightened and wand curled but more than that, Malcolm remembered how _happy_ Dani looked as she cradled her then growing stomach. He remembered how it felt knowing that he had a hand in making it so.

Giving him a dry look but not pressing the issue further, Dani padded across the room and over to him. “We got something new?”  


Malcolm turned his high-backed leather chair towards her as she immediately took a seat on his lap, picking up the CSU photo he’d abandoned. His arms wrapped around her, coming to rest on Dani’s once again flat stomach. 

“Not sure,” he murmured against the thin material of one of his old shirts from undergrad as he kissed her shoulder, inhaling her Dove soap scent–the idea of working completely forgotten.

Dani turned around, looking at him over her shoulder, a smile playing at the edges of her full lips, “I guess it’s bedtime then.”

His arms tightened around her as she moved to stand, “You know, I’m not really tired. Think you can fix that?”

Dani snorted, wriggling out of his grasp, pulling him up with her, “Yeah…we’re _not_ doing this a third time.”

Malcolm bit his lip, his hands sliding lower on her hips, pulling her flush against him. “Fine with me, no kids just business.”

“Bright, the next time they bring me to the hospital, I’m not coming back out.”

Malcolm made a face, “That’s a terrible joke.”

Dani rolled her eyes, though by the sparkle in them, her heart wasn’t in it. “Come on, Casanova, I’m tired and something tells me Gil will be looking for us in the morning.”

––––––––––––––

“Detective Powell, I think we’re being invaded.” Malcolm said amusedly. 

“Hmm…what…?” Dani lifted her head from where it rested on Malcolm’s chest. She blinked, trying to clear the sleep induced fog from her brain, following her husband’s gaze to where she found her two children climbing onto the the leather bench at the foot of the bed.

She sat up, reaching over and turning on the lamp. It was 3 a.m. “Wha–what is this?” 

Dani didn’t know if was because her brain function hadn’t kicked in yet or because her kids had managed to do something that only kids with the last name of Bright were capable of but she was at a loss. It wasn’t uncommon for Zahra to sneak into their bed, however, this was the first time she’d brought Asa with her.

“I think Zahra figured out how to jailbreak her brother,” Malcolm replied, sounding impressed. 

“ _Where did she learn that_?” Dani was convinced that Malcolm, Zahra and Asa shared the same brain. She couldn’t prove it but she knew this had _everything_ to with her husband.

“How should I know?”

“You should. _You_ made them this way.”

Malcolm laughed, “How is this _my_ fault?” As if proving her point Zahra scrambled over to him, laying on his chest, finding her customary spot in the crook of his neck, his arm tightened around her automatically.

Asa sat in the middle of the bed, quietly observing the three of them, his silvery-brown eyes wide with interest.

“Bright,” Dani warned. This was not about to become a thing. The kids had their own rooms and their own beds.

“What are we supposed to do? Just send them back?” 

“Are you serious, right now? _Yes_!” Dani was used to the combined shenanigans of her husband and her kids but in a few hours, Grandpa would likely be needing them, she was going to get some rest. She turned over on her side, pulling up the covers. “Get to it, Daddy.”

Malcolm counted the exactly 34 seconds it took his wife to fall back asleep after issuing her directive, watching as Asa crawled over to Dani, burrowing into her chest. Her arms encircled his tiny frame instinctually. 

“Can we stay, Daddy?” Zahra mumbled sleepily, rubbing her face in the crook of his neck. Her soft dark golden brown lion-esque curls tickling his nose.

“Yes, sweetheart but just this once.” Malcolm knew it wouldn’t be _just this once_ but at least in the morning he could tell Dani that he tried.

––––––––––––––

Her mind drifting back to the present, Dani sighed looking up at the exposed beams in the ceiling, the wire and crystal chandelier casting prismatic shadows on the wall. It was first morning in their new house. Dani glanced at her phone, expecting a message from Gil as she knew another body had been found. She didn’t find one and she knew that if her defacto father/father-in-law needed them, he’d call. For now, she wouldn’t worry about it as she settled back under the covers with her family.

The more she thought about it, it really didn’t get any better than this. Dani absently carded her fingers through Asa’s soft dark golden brown hair, her son sleeping soundly, his head at her chest–directly over her heart. 

The four of them in their new home and in their big bed, Dani realized that they truly had made it out of the woods. She and Malcolm had their ups and downs since they’d met. Malcolm had disappointed her once but he’d never done it again. He’d allowed her to love him wholly and he’d given her the same in return. That love had led them here.

Dani knew that they would never be a normal family but they didn’t need normal. What they had was _theirs_ and there was nothing on earth she’d trade it for. She turned a bit to look at her husband, the softness in his ice blue eyes showing her that he felt the exact same.

**Author's Note:**

> I cannot give @2amEuphoria enough love like not only is she my brainstorming partner in crime but this fic is the result of lots and lots of headcanons traded back and forth with her and it was her idea to add one more baby Brightwell to the fold. Also the "I'm gonna knock you out" was all her and that scene was because @Prettybutt wanted to see how they got to the kids lol.
> 
> Also a few of the lines came from Sleeping At Last Song Lyric Writing Prompts by @reverie-writes on Tumblr  
> 1\. All of this mess is just an attempt to know the worth of my life. (Mercury)  
> 10\. In Spite of uneven odds, beauty lifts from the earth. (Uneven Odds)  
> 24\. There is color deep within your eyes, history only you and I could write. (We're Still Here)


End file.
